Tuesday, 29 June 2010

This week from the 1st-3rd July, WAES are staging an exhibition at the SW1 Gallery. My students have made some lovely works this year and will be showcasing them at this event. There will also be work from students studying glass, ceramics, photography and fine art. It's a free event and loads to see.

Tuesday, 22 June 2010

Selvedge are holding their first ever Summer Fair at St Augustine's in London, N6 5QG. To see a list of exhibitors click here. It's open from 11-5, there are 30 handpicked makers and the first 200 visitors get a free goodie bag!

The artists' sculptural textile installations have emerged from an exchange of diverse cultural perspectives, working methods and creative processes. In addition, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum has commissioned two new site-specific works by artists Eva Schjølberg and Gabriella Göransson, and will be showing a new work by Machiko Agano. These new works will make use of the normally unused outdoor balconies, creating a fascinating dialogue with the works in the gallery.

CULTEX is supported by the Japan Foundation, the Sasakawa Foundation in Scandinavia, Daiwa, the Norwegian Embassy in the UK, the Hub, Norsk Kulturråd, Norsk Kunsthåndverkere, OCA, and Norke Texstilkunstnere."

I am showing work in their Craft Conservatory for the next few months, along with other makers who use textiles in their work.

Monday, 21 June 2010

"Rudyard Kipling bought Bateman's in 1902. He and his American wife, Carrie, had discovered the house two years earlier but had been too slow in deciding to buy it and it was let before they could close the deal. When the house came on the market again in 1902, they had no hesitation and bought it along with the surrounding buildings, the mill and 33 acres for £9,300. It had no bathroom, no running water upstairs and no electricity but Kipling loved it. 'Behold us, lawful owners of a grey stone lichened house - A.D. 1634 over the door - beamed, panelled, with old oak staircase, and all untouched and unfaked. It is a good and peaceable place,' he wrote in November 1902. 'We have loved it ever since our first sight of it.'

Bateman's was built around 1634. A large block of ironstone is incorporated into the porch and a longstanding tradition claims the house was built by a Wealden ironmaster. The first known occupant was a John Briteen (or Brittan) at the end of the 17th century. He was, in fact, an iron dealer but he may well be the ironmaster referred to."

Monday, 14 June 2010

Some Private View images from the ACJ stand @ Treasure. Thanks Tamizan for the images.

It was good to meet other makers from the ACJ at the weekend. I was working with Gill Forsbrook and Mike Andrews, both great company. We had lots of interest in the work and also people wanting to enter the competition and know more about the ACJ. You can find details on the ACJ Website.

The ACJ welcome as members practising jewellers, associated designers and crafts people, educators, students, gallery owners and retailers, museum curators, critics and collectors, anyone with an interest in contemporary jewellery.

The ACJ stand looked great. Many thanks to Sue, Lynne, Tamizan, Liz, Tricia and Geraldine for working so hard on the planning and set up.

Treasure an exhibition of the country’s most exciting contemporary jewellery designers is returning to London Jewellery Week (7–13 June) with a three-day showcase in Bloomsbury.

From Friday until Sunday I will be showing some new pieces at the ACJ stand at TREASURE, as part of London Jewellery week. I will be there on Saturday 10:00 - 14:00, if anyone is attending please pop by and say hello!

"An unprecedented opportunity to win a piece of contemporary jewellery designed especially for you.One lucky visitor to the ACJ stand will win this unique prize of a specially created piece to the value of £500, designed and made in collaboration with you, by your favourite jeweller on ACJ’s stand."

ACJ - the Association for Contemporary Jewellery is devoted to the promotion, representation, understanding and development of contemporary jewellery in the United Kingdom and abroad

Wednesday, 2 June 2010

Fabrizio Tridenti is showing work in an Italian Jewellery show for the Scottish Gallery.

"Following the success of Contemporary Jewellery from Italy, a touring exhibition curated by Rita Marcangelo, The Scottish Gallery is delighted to present a showcase of some of the finest jewellers from this exhibition."

"Selfridges in London has selected a collection of jewellery of Ineke Otte, for the launch of the new film "Alice in Wonderland", with Johnny Depp. They had a special presentation with products which are related to the film. They presented the collections of jewellery "tea for two" and necklaces "rat" to the public during this event".

Ela Bauer's work was selected for I care a lot. Which I posted about last week. A really interesting response to the theme, presenting a discussion rather than taking a side or political point of view.

I did not enter this project as I could not think how to approach such a tricky subject without feeling uncomfortable about my interpretation or lack of real knowledge on the subject. I think Ela's work is a very thoughtful response and is universal to the idea of conflicts.

"This is a huge heart which actually is a huge knot.That is the key feeling in this work; the knot is such a paradoxal form; it consists of “one”, but through an action (of knotting) it becomes “two”, with a heart between them. At the same time it is the ground of endless processes which in themselves are not complex, but all together they create an unsolvable, knotted reality. An un-followable mass of actions and reactions.There is no wrong or right, just a complex, painful situation."

Tuesday, 1 June 2010

A porcelain dog with wings in a pärlkedja.A bunch of balls deodorant is a beautiful necklace. So it looks as jewelry artist Paula Lindblom exhibit at Gallery 8th.

I'm scared flea market objects and recycling tank is always at the bottom. At the same time I want to make someone happy and think it's fun, just like I feel when I create jewelry, she says.

It feels a bit strange and twisted. What first looks like a different and colorful necklace is basically a yellow plastic lemon and lots of tiny black beads.

There is a political state ment of what I do.Recycling. I charge it by putting different objects into a new context, which in this deodorant balls that turn into a beautiful pearl necklace and fill a new role, "says Paula Lindblom Jewelry Artist.Among other things, at the School of Design and Crafts in Gothenburg.

You have to learn technique first before you can work with other materials. The idea is the road, not material. Sometimes it takes a year to make an ornament for my searching and searching for the right material, she says.

She calls herself now for Gothenburger, but she was born and raised in Alnö. Seven years ago she became a graduate jewelry artist. But interest existed when she grew up outside Sundsvall.

It began when I was little and we polished shells and things made of clay. The small size has always appealed to me, it pyssliga, "says Paula Lindblom.

In the exhibition hall's white pedistaler she has made small rectangular islands with blue walls and green plastic grass. There, she added some of the necklaces.It fits well in that I come from an island, it was important that it was the right colored blue. It is no coincidence, I work with not chance, "she says.

On one of the islands is a necklace with a hanging clip dolls, which she found at flea market in Sundsvall. They are laminated and then they had an edge of the plastic beads.The lock is a small plastic box.I worked three months to get to the lock, she says, and snaps the lid.

Inside is a bookmark and the lid has been shaped by Paula has made tiny holes in the plastic. Everything in here is to carry, or you can hang necklaces as a windows mobile, "she says.

In order to give clearer example of that, she shows a number of photographs mainly showing men carrying her jewelry.

Earlier she also used the gold, silver and titanium in their jewelry, but today the focus is more of porcelain animals and recycling. She does not want the material to have an intrinsic value. Previously, she melted into the small animal figures in plastic. Today she bore more and put it all together with nylon thread. It is a pill job.

It's a bit meditative. And each pearl I sit there is a little love, "she says, showing a soap packaging that she has sat down with small quantities of beads.

It may take a year to make an ornament. All are unique. It is a choice I made, not mass produce. I work extra to include teaching in silver in order to do what I want, without compromising my art, "she says.

In an old shampoo bottle is a small seal. In another sits a porcelain penguin.

What I want is that you should only see a piece of jewelry, then start to think and feel again the plastic bottle from her bathroom. Penguin and maybe you have had toothpick in. It will give something to the viewer, or they can at least think, "how she thought this".

Since 2003 she has had one or two shows per year. The exhibition at Gallery 8 runs until 16 June.

This article is translated from the Swedish text, so I hope the original message can still be read from it. Here is the original article in Swedish on the Sundsvall website.